Ground maintenance vehicles for performing a variety of tasks are known. For instance, vehicles configured for mowing, fertilizing, aerating, dethatching, vacuuming/blowing, and the like are common. While embodiments of the present invention may be applicable to a variety of such vehicles, they will, for the sake of brevity, be described with respect to riding lawn mowers.
Traditional riding mowers, e.g., those generally having four wheels wherein the front wheels are conventionally steerable by a steering wheel or the like, are in common use by homeowners and professionals alike. However, for professional landscape contractors and others mowing lawns having numerous obstacles, tight spaces, and/or intricate borders, mowers having zero-turning-radius (ZTR) capability are often preferred. As the name implies, “ZTR” generally indicates a vehicle having a zero or comparatively small turning radius, i.e., a vehicle that is highly maneuverable.
ZTR vehicles such as riding mowers typically include a chassis and at least one drive wheel located on each side (left and right) of the chassis. The drive wheels may be independently powered by a vehicle engine (e.g., via a hydraulic motor) so that, while one wheel may rotate in a first direction at a first speed, the other wheel may rotate in the same or different direction at the same or different speed. Rotating one drive wheel for forward motion while simultaneously rotating the other drive wheel for rearward motion, may cause the mower to spin generally about a turning center located between the drive wheels, thus executing a sharp turn.
While configurations vary, the drive wheels are often controlled by a twin lever control system. In this configuration, pivoting motion control levers are provided and positioned side-by-side and slightly forward of an operator's seat. Each control lever may be operatively connected to (and thus independently control) a particular drive wheel (e.g., the left lever may control the speed and direction of the left drive wheel, while the right lever may provide the same control for the right drive wheel). When the control levers are advanced forwardly in unison from a neutral position (e.g., via pivoting about an axis transverse to the direction of travel), the drive wheels may cause the mower to move forwardly in a straight line. Similarly, when the control levers are retracted in unison from the neutral position, the drive wheels may cause the mower to move in the reverse direction. Steering may be accomplished by differential movement of the control levers.
ZTR control levers are often configured to additionally pivot, when in the neutral position, about an axis parallel to the direction of travel of the mower from an operative position to an inoperative position. Movement to the inoperative position may move the levers to a location that better allows operator access to the seat. However, as a result of these multiple degrees of freedom, the control levers are not universally perceived as providing a useful gripping structure (as compared, for example, to a conventional mower steering wheel) to assist the operator when climbing on, and off of, the mower. As a result, the operator may seek to grab other mower structure such as the seat or seat armrest. However, because the seat/armrest is located aft of the control levers, grasping the seat structure may not be convenient when entering the mower from the typical access location forward of the control levers.